The Heart of the Assasin
by CharmedSlayerGR
Summary: San Francisco has been taken over by the evils of Wyatt Halliwell. With all of this there's still one thing he doesn't have; Chris Halliwell on his side.
1. City of the Dead

The Heart of the Assassin

The night was cold, nothing out of the normal, but still uncomfortable for those who lived their life in constant danger. The brisk breeze that swept along the ground carried debris from fallen down houses and litter that lined the streets. An alarm could be heard in the distance, the sound was faint, but still audible above the whistling of the harsh wind. The trees swayed as though they were moving upon their own will. Windows were broken and the shard glass remains of them crunched as they were walked on. San Francisco had lost the glamour and beauty it had once possessed, and to those who knew was it used to look like would cringe if they saw the Bay City. Evils had conquered it and the laughter of content children playing could no longer be heard. The once clean Golden Gate Park now looked as if it were a compost pile, with trash everywhere and broken park benches.

It was a constant reminder of the pain he felt. The world was starting to crumble, San Francisco just beginning of what was to come, if his brother wasn't stopped. That hurt him deep inside, to know that his own flesh and blood had caused the mess that lay before him on the darkened streets of the once elegant city that he lived in. It had all started the day their parents had been murdered. The crime hadn't been committed by a normal person, but by assassins of the Source of All Evil, a demon. Not only had the demons killed his parents, but also his aunts, breaking the force of the power of three. But, the Twice Blessed Child was stronger than even them and he was looking for revenge. Using the magic he possessed, Wyatt vanquished the Source easily, but it didn't stop there. The pain was unbearable for the young teenager; he blamed himself for their deaths.

So, he resorted to evil.

Wyatt Halliwell had grown into the strongest force of magic ever known to mankind. His powers were unstoppable, and he easily overthrew the underworld and made himself the demonic king. But ruling demon wasn't enough for Wyatt, he craved more power, and the city of San Francisco was his next target. The demons now answered to him and would follow whatever order he gave them. So now, six years after their death, Wyatt was trying to make his dream a reality. He wanted to take over the city, but he was challenged.

Chris Halliwell would not let his brother succeed. After their parents had died, Chris was devastated, and tried to help his older brother deal with the pain. But, Wyatt was beyond help, he learned after years of trying. Now, all Chris could do was try to stop his brother no matter what it took. Wyatt was magically stronger, by a long shot, but Chris had powers of his own and a stubbornness that tended to come in handy a lot. He would fight his brother to death if that was what he had to do to keep innocent lives safe.

But there was one problem.

Wyatt and his assassins were killing witches. Already, there was a short supply of true practitioners in the city, without him murdering more. The Elders were in hiding and therefore no help in his battle again his twice blessed brother.

There were whitelighters, like his father had been, and Chris frequently accepted their help when he needed someone healed. That was the one whitelighter power he hadn't received from his father, and it had cost his mother's life. Chris had been there when the demons had attacked at the manor, but hadn't been able to heal his mother. He still blamed himself for her death, but tried to not to think about it. He knew that she would want him to worry about how to stop Wyatt, so that was what he focused on.

Chris walked behind a tree and mumbled a quick incantation. It was then that a small portal appeared behind the oak and he jumped into it. Landing on his feet, he appeared in a small cluster of houses on a small circle shaped street. He and the other witches that lived hear had hidden the neighborhood from his brother. It had been very difficult seeing as Wyatt could sense when a high concentration of magic was being used, but they had managed to do it with a small hint from the Elders. That was before they had gone into hiding.

Walking down the sidewalk, he made his way to the house he stayed in. He walked up the driveway and up to the doorstep. Taking out his keys, he unlocked the door and walked in with a saddened look on his face. Home sweet home. He thought glumly as he took off his jacket and threw it on a tall wooden coat rack.

The Mantecore screeched loudly as she sensed the presence of another in the cavern it claimed as its own. It couldn't see the intruder, but its magical powers gave it the ability to sense her. The demon sure was a sight for sore eyes. It had blotchy yellow skin, and sharp blackened teeth for tearing the skin off of its prey. Tattered robes that were faded from time hung loosely from its thin reptile like body as he paced to and froe.

The girl moved with speed only years of training could allow, and pounced on the demon from behind. As it hit the ground, she used momentum and pushed off her hands, landing on her feet in front of its tangled body. It was only a mere second before the Mantecore was back on its feet and ready for another go. The creature lashed out at her with a large left claw. She easily shimmered out of place in the blink of an eye and reappeared behind it. Opening her palm, a baseball bat flashed into it, and she swung it at the demon with practiced strength. As it connected the Mantecore coughed up blood and fell into the cave wall.

Now was the opportunity to end it, but the girl stood still, as though frozen. This was what her life had become, she was a killer. No, I am NOT a killer! she assured herself in her mind. This creature was evil and she had come to stop its cruelty, although that wasn't true. Wyatt had sent her here to kill the Mantecore because it didn't want to be part of his legion.

That brought up the whole topic of Wyatt. After discovering her family, he had forced them to become his personal assassins. Though her family, the Phoenix witches, was famous for that line of work Bianca had no intention of being one. But, there was no arguing with the Twice Blessed Source and she had no choice. Bianca was then snapped out of her momentary brain freeze as the Mantecore threw a fireball at her. The attack grazed her shoulder and she felt a burst of pain as her skin sizzled from the heat.

"Damn." She coursed. Opening her palm, she formed an energy ball and hurled it at the demon. She shook her head in sadness as it burst into flames and was sent to oblivion.

She had to get find a way out of this life.


	2. A Dream and a Deal

_The path narrowed, winding through the thick wood, to a crossroads. He pondered the decision, wondering which would be the wiser choice. The trail to the right could lead to safety and the freedom he longed for, for so very long. The left could lead to imminent death, the one thing he had been fighting. To some the choice of which road to take would be trivial, but to him it was crucial._

_Deciding to follow his gut, he ran with a fast pace down the trail on the right, hoping that he had made the right decision. As he made his way to a clearing he saw a specter hovering before him. He couldn't make out the face, but the misty ghost seemed familiar in some odd way._

_"Look past appearance, see what's really there." the voice rang out, sounding distant. The familiarity frightened him, but Chris just stared at her all the same._

_As the spirit faded from existance, a new person appeared before him and his heart stopped in his chest. As the dark orbs disappeared the visage of Wyatt Halliwell appeared, with a smile that gloated. He had been dreading this moment ever since the day his brother had turned to evil._

_Wyatt didn't say anything, just tossed a high voltage energy ball at him._

_"I should've taken the one on the left."_

Chris awoke from the nightmare drenched in sweat. He had been having weird dreams like this for the last six years, and he hated them more and more every night. His head throbbed, like always, a side affect of the mental trauma he suffered during his dreams. As if he didn't have enough to deal with, without painful nightmares plaguing his dreams. He couldn't even escape his brother's wrath when he slept.

He pulled the covers off of himself and got out of his bed. When he got into the bathroom, he turned on the sink and made sure the water was cold. Like every night, he opened the sink mirror and pulled out the small bottle of extra strength aspirin, and filled up his cup with the water from the sink. He pulled off the cap, after some struggle, and cursed the people who invented child-proof caps. Popping the pills into his mouth, he took a gulp of water and swallowed. Knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep now, he walked into the living room and flipped on the television.

Despite all that was going on in the city, people still managed to broadcast news and televisioin shows. Chris figured this was mostly because Wyatt wanted people to see the damage he caused and the havok he wrecked. It was sickening, and even more so when a story about one of his brother's latest raids appeared on the screen. He listened to the newswoman as she told about how the women had been brutually murdered, her body found with multiple burns. From what it looked like, Wyatt hadn't committed the murder, but one of his assassins had.

Chris' late night television watching was interrupted as a swirl of bright orbs entered the room, revealing his uncle Kyle. The whitelighter smiled slightly, almost hiding the sad expression that usually adorned his grievesticken face. His uncle hadn't been the same ever since aunt Paige had been killed, but even so he stilled remained to support Chris. Leo had been murdered by a darklighter, protecting Chris, five and half years prior. It still amazed him that, being the only adult in the family that survived, that his uncle still went on everyday.

"Have another nightmare?" Kyle asked with caring eyes.

"Of course, it must be becoming quite the routine. You've been coming the same time every night." answered Chris with a slight smile. He tried to look stronger than he actually was.

"Yeah, I've been trying to find a way to help you with the dreams but so far I've come up short." said Kyle, "I have some bad news though."

"Oh great. Just when I thought I might get some time off." joked Chris.

"The Mantecore that I bribed to give us information was vanquished earlier this evening. My source told me that he thinks it was a woman, no doubt one of the assassins Wyatt has, so we should probably check it out." said Kyle with a sigh as he told him the bad news.

"Okay, let me get dressed." Chris told him before standing up and walking into his bedroom to change his clothes.

Moments later, he walked back into the room wearing a navy blue longsleeve shirt and khaki pants, and stood waiting for instructions on what he should do.

"We should probably call a meeting and check in with the other witches, tell them to be alert and not the leave the hidden areas for a couple days." suggested Kyle thinking that was the best way to start.

Chris walked over to his telephone, the reciever was handing on the wall, and picked up the small handset. He dialed 555, for an all-call. "Everyone please go the Meeting Hall." he said before hanging up. He pulled a piece of brown hair out of his eyes.

"Meet you there." said Kyle as he orbed out.

Chris did the same.

Appearing in the meeting hall, Chris watched as a few witches walked in. They all looked at exhausted and he felt guilty for waking them all up, but knew that they would want to know about anything that concerned their safety. The meeting hall was a building in the center of the small neighborhood and everyone had been there enough to know where it was.

Chris' best friend, Kendal, walked into the hall yawning loudly. She slowly walked to his side, her long brown hair swept up in a ponytail. She was clad in flanel pants and a teeshirt. "What's going on?" she asked him, before yawning once again.

"The Mantecore was vanquished yesterday, so obviously Wyatt has been second guessing a lot of our moves. We just wanted to warn everyone, keep them alert." he explained to her with a sigh.

Kendal nodded. "Oh, are you gonna go check it out?" she asked.

The two of them had been friends since preschool, and her kindness never ceased to amaze him. Kendal was always there for Chris, no matter what was going on. Her father had been killed by Wyatt and her mother by one of his assassins. Kendal had dealt with a lot of pain in her life yet she still supported Chris. She was such a kind person, and would never let anything happen to her. She was the one person that he could really talk to, and Chris was glad to have her as a best friend.

"Yeah, you wanna come with me?" asked Chris with a raised eyebrow.

Kendal nodded again, stifling a yawn."Sure, just let me get a shot of expresso and change first." she told him with a smile.

"Okay, I have to tell everyone else what's going on anyways so you can go and I'll pick you up in a few minutes." he said as he turned to the crowd of witches in front of him and looked upon their tired faces.

Kendal turned on her heel and walked out of the room, toward her house.

Chris turned to the gathering witches, feeling guilty. Though he was getting used to bringing the burden of bad news, he still hated seeing their faces when he told about it. They were getting better at accepting the hardships, but that was mostly because a lot of them had given up on hope and were just waiting until the day that Wyatt finally found the hidden homes. It pained him to see people like this, but he was the leader and that was just something that came with it.

"The Mantecore that Kyle bribed was vanquished yesterday." the Halliwell said, looking upon the many tired faces in the hall.

Looks of dismay and worry were exchanged between the fellow witches before anyone spoke up. "What're we going to do now?" a man in the front of the crowd questioned.

"Kendal, Kyle and I are going to check it out. We'll see if we can get any leads on which assassin did this and hopefully get some information on Wyatt's next move in the process." replied Chris, he was used to answering all sorts of different questions now.

"You best be going then dear, be careful." cooed an elderly witch in the back. She was a kind lady, she made Chris and Kendal cookies quite frequently, and he was glad that she was still doing well.

"Okay, meeting adjourned." said Chris.

The burn ached, hours later, as she shimmered into the underworld. Wyatt had really changed the place to suit his taste, that was for sure. Bright torches hung on the cavewall, with the image of Wyatt killing the former Source playing inside the flames. He had fused the world's evergrowing technology with magic and some of the things he had created were awesome.

Bianca walked comfortably, as a good magic sensing maching scanned her, another one of Wyatt's great inventions. She was used to it by now, which was something that did not please her. The assassin was disgusted with herself, to tell the truth, and couldn't stand looking in the mirror in the morning. Knowing what she had become sickened her, though she had no choice in the matter, Wyatt was unstoppable. It didn't help either that she was his favorite. He often hit on her, flirted with her, though she resisted his sexual come-ons. No matter how low she considered herself, she would never stoop to that level.

Coming up to the large gleaming doors to Wyatt's chamber, Bianca stopped and glared at the guards, who looked at her their arms folded across their chest in defiance. She placed her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrow at the naive demons in front of her.

"Do we have to go through this everyday?" she asked rudely conjuring an athame that she twirled carelessly in her hand.

"Password." the bigger of the two said not letting up.

"Dying children." mumbled Bianca in disgust. The guards smiled and moved aside. They knew that the password bothered her and they took pleasure in hearing her say everytime she had to report back to Wyatt.

Eyeing them, Bianca stepped through the theateral doors and into the large chamber.

The Twice Blessed Source stood, gazing into a large crystal wall, showing glimpses of the city. Yet another magical invention. He turned, grinning, as he sensed her enter the room.

"Bianca, I do have to say, I'm surprised." said Wyatt still grinning. "Going up against a Mantecore and coming back unscathed is quite the challenge."

"Whatever, give me my money." snapped Bianca with distaste.

"Don't talk to me like that. You'll get your money...and a promotion." he told her.

"What?" asked Bianca, not liking where this was going.

"I have a new job for you...one that only you can do." he said. He waited a moment and she didn't say anything, so he continued. "My brother. I need to hurt him, and you're just the person who can help me do that. I want you to make him fall in love with you, and then I want to betray him. I want you to break his heart."

"Screw you!" she spat.

"Well, its either that or another job. A _human _I need killed." Wyatt said knowing this would get her. "Remeber your first kill...I do."

His shape changed, molding him into the form of a small middle aged woman. "No! Please, I have a daughter! No, no, no!" he screamed.

Bianca lowered her head, remeber the day in clear detail, and hating herself. She had vowed that day to never kill again."Stop!" she shouted.

Wyatt changed back to himself. "So, we have a deal?"

"Fine."


	3. Little Monster Not So Little Anymore

Chris approached Kendal's small ranch style house and knocked lightly on the front door. She used to live in a large manor much like his old house, but they had all been forced to move to this safe-haven. He heard footsteps against the hardwood floor inside the home and watched as Kendal opened the door and stepped out onto the porch next to him.

"Ready?" he asked her with his hands stuck in his pockets as they normally were.

"Yeah, let's go find us an assassin." Kendal replied with a smile on her kind face. She was always smiling, despite the state that the city was in. It was good that she could because it sometimes made other people smile also.

Chris smiled lopsidedly and started walking down the path that led to the oak tree. "I can't figure out how he knew that we had bribed that demon."

"Well, Wyatt tends to know a lot of things that we aren't aware of." She said.

Chris just shrugged and kept on walking down the beaten trail. They couldn't orb out of the neighborhood because Wyatt would be able to trace the magic back to the hidden areas. So, he had to use the portal then they could orb wherever they wanted.

"What's the matter?" asked Kendal, using her best friend wits to see that something was bothering him.

"Nothing's the matter." Answered Chris untruthfully.

Kendal stopped and put her hands on her hips. She pursed her lips tightly before speaking. "Chris, remember in first grade when you were all excited because your mom made you cookies to bring to school? Then you fell when you got off the bus and dumped the cookies on the ground. I went and asked you what was wrong and you said that I wasn't your friend so you couldn't tell me. Then I gave you my cookies and we went and played on the playground. I know when something's bothering you."

Chris smiled at the memory. At the time it hadn't been pleasant, but now he would give anything to relive the days when life had been carefree and fun. It was usually depressing to think back to when his mother and aunts had been alive, but now it gave him warmth. It was nice to remember that at one point in his life Chris had been happy, extremely happy. Though Chris and Leo hadn't always seen eye to eye, now that his father was gone Chris wished he would've put aside their differences much earlier than he had.

"I had another nightmare last night." He told her.

Kendal tilted her head. "Don't you have them almost every night?" she asked confused.

"Yeah, but this one was different. There was a ghost and she told me to look past appearances. She sounded familiar, but I couldn't put the voice to a face." Chris explained uneasily.

They finally came up to the oak tree where the portal was hidden. Chris walked through first, followed directly by Kendal.

"Do you think it was relevant?" she asked as they immerged on the other side of the mystical transporter.

Chris contemplated this in his mind for a moment. He had experienced a dream like the previous nights before, but this one had seemed oddly different. There was a chance that it could be significant, but most likely he was just a little freaked out because he recognized the ghost from somewhere. It was probably all just a big coincidence.

"Nah, I doubt it." He said trying to brush it off.

"Has Kyle found anything out about away to stop your nightmares yet?" she asked.

"Not yet, but he's still trying." Replied Chris.

"Okay, to the Mantecore's lair we go." Said Kendal.

Chris grabbed her hand and they disappeared in a swirl of orbs.

(Scene changes to Manticore's lair)

Chris and Kendal appeared inside the Mantecore's lair as the orbs dissipated. Chris had told Kyle that he could stay behind before he had picked up Kendal. He had no doubt in her ability to defend herself, she had proved well able to do so a long time ago.

Kendal was a shapeshifter, and the power allowed her to mold her shape into whatever person, object, or animal she pleased. She also had the ability to manipulate solar energy from the sun into bright blasts of light. She was a powerful witch, and a good person to have next to him in battle.

Chris walked further into the lair and looked around investigating the scene. Spotting a scorch mark on the floor, he kneeled down and examined the area where the demon had once stood. Kendal kneeled down next to him and the two of them looked at it questionly. Chris sighed autibly. Bribing the demon had been a big mistake. They had used a lot of precious money and had gotten no information out of the deal. He should've known better then to put trust into the hands of a demon. Not that it was the Mantecore's fault, it didn't vanquish itself after all, but it was still wrong to think that anything good could from the bargain they had made two weeks earlier.

"How do you think it was killed?" asked Kendal as she looked at him with a questioning look on her face.

"Looks like it was either an energy ball or a fireball, its hard to differentiate the two." answered Chris, he had gotten very talented at all aspects of magic.

Just then a demon appeared and jumped on Chris' back. Kendal jumped up, surprised, and opened her palms. A blast of dazzling bright light shot out of them at the demon and it was sent to the ground, stunned. Chris stood up, not sure was going on. He hadn't expected a demon to attack him, but he knew better than to not expect to unexpected.

As the demon stood up Chris flung out his hands, slowing down its molecules, and suspending it in time. He had inherited the power from his mother, and could also blast them like she had. But, he was still having trouble controlling that power.

"Where did he come from?" asked Kendal as she gazed at the demon who was at a stand-still.

"I don't know, but he's not one of Wyatt's. He resembles a Mantecore and they mate with humans to make more of their kind. Its probably the spawn of the one that was vanquished." explained Chris as he looked over the half mantecore. "If that's true then he's half human and that means he has good inside him somewhere."

"Okay, unfreeze his head and maybe we can talk to him." suggested Kendal figuring it was worth a shot.

Chris made a small gesture and the demon's head unfroze. It looked at them both, confused, as it realized that it was frozen from the neck down.

"What did you do to me?" the man asked furiously.

"We'll be asking the questions." said Kendal.

"Why'd you attack us?" asked Chris as he folded his arms across his chest questioningly.

"I thought you were demons." he answered.

"And.." Chris prodded.

"And my father was kidnapped by demons. I thought my mother might be behind it, but when I got here I saw you two looking over the spot where she was vanquished." explained the man.

"But, you're a demon." said Kendal.

"Yeah, but I'm not evil. I use my powers for good."

Kendal looked to Chris, wondering if the demon/human was telling the truth or not.

Chris made another gesture with his hands and unfroze him. "What's your name?"

"Aiden Peterson." he answered as the demon brow that resembled a Manticore's faded away.

"Your mother was vanquished by one of the Source's assassins." Chris told him.

"So, that means whoever killed her knows where my father is." concluded Aiden showing a sign of hope on his face.

"Yes, what's his name?" asked Kendal, finding herself oddly attracted to the man who had almost killed them.

"Derek, but he's magically know as the Beast." replied Aiden to her.

"I thought Manticores only mated with humans." said Chris unsure of why a human would be called the Beast.

"My dad is human, but he took potions and had spells performed on his so that he could be strong enough to protect me from my mother." Aiden said.

"Well, I think if we work together we can save him. Why don't you come with us so we can figure out how to do this right." said Chris.

"Okay." agreed Aiden.

They orbed to the oak tree.


	4. No Trespassing

Wyatt and Bianca appeared in a swirl of dark orbs. As they reformed, the assassin looked closely at her surroundings. They were in a very nice, high class apartment, somewhere in the upper part of the city, she guessed. It was large, the living room area that they were in, and it was adorned with nice leather furniture.

"This is where you are to stay until further notice." said Wyatt breaking the silence.

"Who'd you kill to get this place?" she asked, not expecting an answer.

"Chris might ask you how you ended up with an apartment like this, and I want you to tell him that its cloaked and that my magic won't be able to sense anything while anyone's inside." he instructed her.

"Sure, now when are you leaving?" Bianca asked with an annoyed look on her face.

Wyatt scowled at her before opening his hand and conjuring a sheet of paper. He handed it to her before saying, "This will tell you everything you need to know about Chris."

Bianca read over the paper. It had a list of all Chris' favorite bars, his friends, places he'd be last seen in, and all kinds of information on what he liked and didn't. She couldn't believe that she was actually going through with this. It was so cruel, but killing someone was even more cruel and she could never bring herself to do that again. That was a place she didn't want be ever again in her life. Looking at the paper again, she saw a picture of the man she had to pretend to love. He looked like the kind of person she would go for if she were a normal girl, but she wasnt' and she had to fall in love with him to save her own ass.

"Anything else I should know?" she questioned.

"I have a trap waiting for him right now, and afterwards he'll be depressed. I'd go checking some of his bars later...lets just say he'll be drinking away his pain." said Wyatt with a grin before disappearing in a stream of white light.

(Scene changes to meeting hall)

Chris walked back into the meeting hall with a scrying crystal in his hand. He walked over to the large map of San Francisco, encased in glass, on its own podium in one of the corners of the room. They were going to scry for the Beast and hopefully save his life.

"Okay, I need something that belongs to your dady so I can scry for him." said Chris not looking up from the large map in front of him.

Aiden reached into his pocket and pulled out a large red ring. He handed it to Kendal, who was closer to Chris, and she placed it in Chris' outstretched palm. Chris took the magical jewel and slid it on the string that held the scrying crystal. Standing over the map, he let the items dangle over the map, waiting for the spell to indicate the location of the imprisoned man.

Minutes went by and the crystal stayed in the same circular pattern, not hitting the surface of the glass over the map.

"I don't think your spell is going to work." huffed Aiden impatiently.

"Give it time." mumbled Chris concentrating on the spell.

"I don't have time!" shouted Aiden and his brow changed, revealing a little of his demonic side.

Chris dropped the crystal and turned to face the rogue demon. "We're trying to help you, and we're doing the best that we can. This spell is our only hope of finding your father, and if you don't let me concentrate then he's probably going to die. So, I suggest you shut up and let me finish." he snapped angrily.

Kendal took a step forward, coming in between the two men. She brushed a strand of hair out of her face before looking at each of them with a reminding glare. "We don't have much time, lets finish the spell." she said breaking up the momentary arguement.

Aiden stepped back and his demonic visage changed back to his human appearance. He took a few deep breaths, trying to control his inner demon.

Chris redirected his concentration to the scrying spell, dangling the crystal over the map once more. This time however it dropped; the Beast was at a building in the slums of the city.

"Found him." announced Chris without any change in the tone of his voice.

"Lets go then." said Kendal as she grabbed onto Chris' arm. They orbed out and Aiden shimmered after them.

(Scene changes to rundown street)

The trio rematerialized outside the large building, moments later. The windows were boarded up, the grass was long, and the tar pathway was cracked. The true slums of SF, as was most of the city these days.

"You should probably call Kyle, just in case we need some healing." suggested Kendal as she rolled up her sleeves in anticipation for the fight ahead.

Chris pondered the thought for a moment. He knew that his uncle would want to be there to help him, but he also knew how much it pained him to be in the same room as Wyatt. His uncle felt like he had failed aunt Paige by not stopping Wyatt, though Chris knew that wasn't true. In the end though, Kendal was right, if either of them were hurt they needed his healing touch. There was no garuntee that they could reach another whitelighter.

"Uncle Kyle!" said Chris though not too loud, not wanting to give away their presence to the demons inside the house.

The whitelighter appeared seconds later, and shot Chris a questioning look as he saw the new person standing next to Kendal. "What do you need?"

"This is Aiden, his father was captured by some of Wyatt's assassins and his mother, who's a Manticore was vanquished also." explained Kendal quickly, being the fast talker that she is.

"Okay, and you want me to stick around to help. Got it." said Kyle.

"Kendal, I need to shapeshift into something that can get you in there unnoticed and call for me when its okay for us to go in." Chris said to her having no doubt in her capability.

"Good luck." Aiden wished her.

Kendal nodded before her shape started to shift. Her thin slender body started to shrink into that of a small field mouse. Once the splitsecond transformation was complete she disappeared into the grass and found a hole that led her into the house.

"So, you're half Manticore." said Kyle wanting a little more information on their newest ally.

"Yeah, but I was raised by my father. I'm not evil." said Aiden knowing that the whitelighter was skeptical of him.

"How did a human protect you against a clan of Manticores?" he asked.

"You'll see soon enough." Aiden replied as he wormed his way out of explaining the story again.

Chris heard the familiar jingle of Kendal calling for him. "Okay, lets go." he said as he orbed into the house, knowing they would follow him.

(Scene changes to inside of house)

Reappearing, Chris saw Kendal changing back into herself. They were in a small hallway with various holes in the wall and paint peelings on the tattered rug. This place was a sight for sore eyes to say the least.

"They're inside the room right ahead of us. There's a small group of demons guarding him, but nothing we can't handle on our own." Kendal assured them.

"Okay, Kyle you get Derek while we fend off the demons." ordered Chris devising a plan.

"I'll take the right side of the room." offered Aiden as his face changed once again, preparing himself fort the fight.

"And I can take the left, Kendal you stay between us." said Chris with a nod of his head. He didn't want her to get hurt, he'd never forgive himself.

Kendal nodded her agreement and stood between the two men, waiting for their sign to enter the room. Chris waved his hand violently and the door flew off the hinges with a telekinetic force, disturbing the demons in the large dining hall. They had all been sitting around resting, and obviously hadn't been expecting an attack.

"Knock knock." said Chris before flicking his wrist and exploding the demon nearest him.

The various demons around the room stood up, ready for a battle, and faced them snarling. There were more of the fiends in the room then Chris had expected, but his blasting had worked fine and hopefully it would continue to. That would give them more of an advantage against the demons.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chris saw a high voltage energy ball appear. With one motion of his hand, the magical attack flew back at his creator, vanquishing him. Looking over, he saw Kendal shoot a large blast of multi-colored light at a demon. It flew backwards, stunned by the dazzling light and fell to the floor. On her right Aiden was hurling fireballs like a semi-automatic magical machine gun, not hitting all of his targets, but most of them.

Kyle orbed out and reappeared behind who he assumed to be Derek Peterson. He looked nothing like a human being. His face was large and distorted, his back had a large hump on it, and his hands were the size of what one would compare to a caveman's club. That must've been what Aiden had meant earlier when they were outside of the house.

As the whitelighter reached forward to grab the Beast's hand, a large crystal cage appeared and repelled him back a few feet. Approaching carefully, Kyle kicked one of the crystals out of the way and the cage disappeared. The Beast was unconcious, and Kyle knew he would have to orb him out, he was much to heavy to carry, but was interrupted as someone orbed in next to him.

"Uncle Kyle, long time no see!" exclaimed Wyatt with false happiness.

Kyle just looked at his nephew in disgust. It hurt him to see Wyatt like this.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you leave with him. It was nice talking to you, well not really, but anyways I'm busy." said the Source before backhanding his uncle back with superstrength through a window.

Chris watched as his uncle flew out the window. He started to flick his wrist in retaliation against his brother, but Wyatt interrupted him halfway though the attack.

"Now now, Chris. If anyone makes another move, I'll kill Derek here." said Wyatt indicating the large Beast who was now hovering in the air, concious now.

Chris let his hands fall to his side, not wanting the man to be harmed. He didn't know how to get out of this one. Wyatt had Aiden's father, and he knew that he wouldn't leave without him. But, he also didn't want to lose anyone in the process of saving one life. "Let us have Derek and we'll leave."

Wyatt raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Now, really Chris, did you really expect me to agree with that?" he asked chuckling contently.

"WE SAID LET HIM GO!" shouted Aiden as his inner demon took over because of the anger he was feeling.

Wyatt's demeanor changed as he was angered by the outburst. "Remember this as the day that you caused your father's death." he shot back as he threw an energy ball at Derek.

The man cried out in pain as he fell back from the impact. Once he hit the floor his appearance changed to a middle aged man, as he passed on.

"NO!" cried Aiden as he dropped to his knees. His palms became surrounded in fire as he drew them back, ready to attack.

Kendal knelt down and pulled his arms behind his back. She didn't want him to get harmed. Knowing the pain that he felt, she vowed to help him get through this.

Chris looked to the ground. This was too much. How could he have let this happen. He was truly stupid to think that Wyatt wouldn't know what they were up to. The whole reason they had investigated the Manticore lair was because he had second guessed them, and now an innocent man was dead because of his stupidity. The guilt was unbearable, adding to the constant void in his heart, fusing with the other deaths he felt responsible for.

"What's the matter Chris? Cat got your tongue?" asked Wyatt loving every moment.

"Get out." said Chris quietly.

"You're the one trespassing little brother." said Wyatt though he did plan on leaving. "Let this be a reminder of what happens when you anger the Twice Blessed Source." he said before disappearing in dark orbs.

"Chris, we should get back to the hidden homes." said Kendal embracing the crying demi-human.

"Go get Kyle." he replied without any emotion. Chris stared into space as she left the room, listening the mournful cries of the man next to him.


	5. Lover's Dance

Wyatt and Bianca appeared in a swirl of dark orbs. As they reformed, the assassin looked closely at her surroundings. They were in a very nice, high class apartment, somewhere in the upper part of the city, she guessed. It was large, the living room area that they were in, and it was adorned with nice leather furniture.

"This is where you are to stay until further notice." said Wyatt breaking the silence.

"Who'd you kill to get this place?" she asked, not expecting an answer.

"Chris might ask you how you ended up with an apartment like this, and I want you to tell him that its cloaked and that my magic won't be able to sense anything while anyone's inside." he instructed her.

"Sure, now when are you leaving?" Bianca asked with an annoyed look on her face.

Wyatt scowled at her before opening his hand and conjuring a sheet of paper. He handed it to her before saying, "This will tell you everything you need to know about Chris."

Bianca read over the paper. It had a list of all Chris' favorite bars, his friends, places he'd be last seen in, and all kinds of information on what he liked and didn't. She couldn't believe that she was actually going through with this. It was so cruel, but killing someone was even more cruel and she could never bring herself to do that again. That was a place she didn't want be ever again in her life. Looking at the paper again, she saw a picture of the man she had to pretend to love. He looked like the kind of person she would go for if she were a normal girl, but she wasnt' and she had to fall in love with him to save her own ass.

"Anything else I should know?" she questioned.

"I have a trap waiting for him right now, and afterwards he'll be depressed. I'd go checking some of his bars later...lets just say he'll be drinking away his pain." said Wyatt with a grin before disappearing in a stream of white light.

Another song started up, another ballad to be exact, and the smooth sound added to his sadness. Taking a gulp of liquor, he sulked deeper into his chair at the bar, wishing he could make all of it go away. He banged his shot glass on the table to let the bartender know that was ready for another drink. Chris was getting better at holding his liquor, and it took more alcohol to get him drunk then it used to. The chubby bartender took his glass, not caring how drunk he was, and filled it up with more vodka. Dust billowed up from the surface of the bar as the glass was placed in front of him once more.

"I'm keepin' a tab." the chubby man warned him with a scowl.

"I know, don't worry. You'll get your money." said Chris waving him away.

He took a look around, discovering that were more people here than usual. It was a saturday, but still this was one of the dumpier bars left in San Francisco. It didn't really matter to Chris though. The thought was merely meant to take his mind on the events that had occured earlier that day. Aiden's cries still echoed deep within his mind, and he was trying desperately to silence them. Though Chris wasn't empathic, he sometimes felt as if he were. He felt other's pain as though it were his own and that was something most people didn't experience.

The door creaked loudly as it was opened and a woman walked into the bar. She was dressed in tight jeans and a red sweater with a black leather jacket over it. Her long chesnut brown hair fell to her shoulders and her hazel eyes shined brightly in the dimly lit room. She didn't look like the type of person someone would find at a place like this on a saturday night. She looked too exquisite, too beautiful.

Chris gazed at her in amazement as she walked over to the bar. Her long legs moved her forward with grace, and she looked gorgeous all the while. He just couldn't take his eyes off of her. It could be the alchohol, but he thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life.

Bianca noticed him watching her and pretended she didn't see him. She sat down on the hard chair at the bar next to his, waiting for the bartender to take her order. Using her perhiperal vision, she saw that he was still looking at her, obviously he was a little drunk. A sober person would know they were staring after that long, but she didn't hold it against him. She had no idea what Wyatt's 'test' had been, and she really didn't know Chris yet. It wouldn't be fair to judge him, she was already doing enough wrong by doing what Wyatt had asked of her.

"I'll have a rum and coke please." Bianca told the bartender with a slight smile. Since Chris was still gazing at her with wide eyes, she decided it might be time to strike up some light conversation and see where it led to. "Hi."

Chris snapped out of it as the girl spoke to him. He blushed ever so slightly, realizing what he must've looked like, staring at her like that. "Ah, hi. I'm Chris." he introduced himself with an awkward grin.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Bianca." she replied smiling a little brighter. The bartender brought over her drink and she took a small sip of it, thinking the taste was pretty good considering the bar she was in.

"So, what's a girl like you doing in a bar like this?" asked Chris slurring his words slightly.

Biana turned a little in her chair so that she could face him. "How am I differen't from anyone else that's here?" she asked with both eyebrows raised.

"Well, you just don't look like the type of person that would come here, and I've never seen you here before." answered Chris trying hard not to sound rude.

"Maybe you should look past appearances." suggested Bianca as she slipped off her leather jacket.

Chris set down his drink as he heard her say that. Where had he heard that before? Maybe he would've remembered if he wasn't so damn drunk. "Maybe I should." he replied smiling at her.

Bianca took another swig of her drink as a new song played throughout the bar. It was a slightly newer, fast paced song, and one of her favorites. "I love this song." she said to Chris, hoping he would ask her to dance with him. So far, he was the complete opposite of Wyatt, and she liked that a lot.

"Do you want to dance?" asked Chris as he stood up and offered his hand to her.

"I'd love to." Bianca answerd as she stood also and took his hand. Chris led her to the dance floor where there were a few people.

The two of them started to dance to the quick beat of the song. As their bodies became close both of them felt a warmth within themselves, something neither had experienced in a very long time. Bianca wrapped her arms around his neck as the song went into the chorus. Chris pulled her closer and they moved with great rhythm. As the song ended the two of them moved apart slowly, still entranced by the music that no longer played. They looked into eachother's eyes for a moment.

"I should probably get going..." said Bianca, not knowing how she had lost herself during the dance.

"Can I walk you home?" asked Chris not wanting to separate with her at that point.

Bianca pondered the thought for a moment. "Sure." she said though she had no intention on sleeping with him. Wyatt had assured her that his brother wouldn't fall in love with a tramp.

"Lets go." said Chris as they walked to the bar and paid and Bianca grabbed her jacket.

(Scene changes to Kendal's house)

Kendal opened her door and walked into her house. She flicked on the lightswitch and kept the door open for Aiden, who entered also.

"I know its not much, but you're welcome to stay here as long as you like." she told him kindly. Kendal was just about the kindest person you could ever meet.

"Thank you, your house is lovely." said Aiden as he walked in slowly. He was still shell shocked from his father's death. He felt like it was his fault. He had provoked Wyatt and then the evil bastard had murdered him. Aiden knew that the whole thing wouldn't have happened if Wyatt weren't involved, but still he felt responsible.

Kendal led him into the living room. It was a nice room with a blue couch and armchair, wooden coffee table, and a nice sized television. "Make yourself at home...I'm going to go make some tea."

Aiden nodded before sitting down on the large couch, and was glad that it was extremely comfortable. Sitting there by himself, the whole scene replayed in mind, over and over again. He could still hear his father cry out in pain, see his limp body on the floor. It was too much. The pain was too much for him to handle. All his life his father had been there for him. He had taught him how to control his demonic side and how to be a good person. Everything that Aiden knew about the world was what his father had taught him. Now for him to not be there was just something that hurt deep inside of him. Tears welled up in his eyes as he started to cry.

Kendal walked back in with two cups of tea and saw Aiden crying on the couch. She set the cups down lightly on the coffee table and sat down on the couch next to him. She knew exactly what he was going through. The memory of the day her parents had been killed was still fresh in her mind. She had come home from school and the door had been wide open. After walking in she found her father on the floor with a burn on his chest. Then she walked into the kitchen and found her mother sprawled out with her hand over a deep athame wound, she had died slowly and painfully.

She wrapped her arms around Aiden tightly. "Shh...its going to be alright. I know what you're going though, and it'll get better after time. You just have to believe that he would want you to be happy." Kendal consoled him as the hugged.

Aiden was caught off guard by her embrace and felt odd. He had never been held by a woman like this before, considering his mother was a demon. He had lived his whole life in hiding and had never had time for girls. Now, sitting there in Kendal's arms, he felt more alive than he ever had in his whole life.

"Kendal...thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me." said Aiden as he looked at her.

She gazed back at him, really seeing him for the first time. "You don't have to thank me." replied Kendal.

They both just sat looking at eachother for a moment. Aiden sat up higher in his seat and ran a hand down her cheek. Her skin was so soft. Nervously, he leaned forward and placed his lips against hers. Kendal was caught slightly off guard by the kiss, by kissed him back all the same and for one moment all the pain was forgotten.


	6. Homeless & Heartless

Bianca awoke bright and early the next morning. For one short moment she felt totally peaceful. That was until the reality of the world came back to her, knocking her out of the careless thoughts of slumber. She laid there for a moment before sighing deeply and pulling the covers off of herself and getting out of her extremely comfortable queen sized bed. At least Wyatt had given her a great place to live, but that thought made her feel guilty. How could she think about such trivial things like that?

Grabbing a hairtie off of her bedside table, she put her hair up, and then walked into the kitchen where she opened up the refridgerator and contemplated what to have for breakfast. The orange juice looked appealing to her, so she grabbed it and filled up a small glass she had taken out of the cupboard beside the fridge. As she looked through the cupboards in search of some cereal, her thoughts drifted back to the events of the previous night.

After Chris and her had left the House of Beer they had taken a nice walk in the moonlight. Bianca felt extremely odd about the whole situation. Although she was being forced to attract Chris, she felt like she wasn't. They had talked on the walk, and Bianca had enjoyed the nice small talk. Bianca hadn't had a boyfriend in ages, and didn't plan on having another one. She couldn't get attached to Chris, or it would make her job impossible. This was something that she had to do and nothing else could get in the way of that.

It was then that Wyatt orbed into the kitchen and stood across from her on the other side of the bar in the center of the room. He smiled at her, as evil as ever, and leaned on the sideboard.

"How'd it go last night?" he asked her curiously.

Bianca shifted uncomfortably before turning to face him. "Fine, he was drowning his sorrow just like you said. I danced with him and then he walked me home."

"Good, my brother doesn't like girls who give it up easy. He's a proper man, so remember that." said Wyatt looking pleased with her.

"Is there anything else you wanted? Because if you don't mind I'd like to take a shower." Bianca said forcefully.

"Now now, no need to be pushy. I could always join you." replied Wyatt with a suggesting grin. He knew that would never happen, but it was fun to tease her. "I'm planning an attack today, on the homeless center on 48th. I want you to go and stop my demons. Chris will be there and see you...and think you're a good witch."

"I am a good witch." shot Bianca angrily.

"Right, sorry I forgot." Wyatt said sarcastically. "After that he'll probably want to spend more time with you. I think that would be a very wise idea."

"Okay, now can leave bastard." Bianca snapped with anger.

Wyatt backhanded her, splitting her lip. "Watch your mouth." he said before orbing out.

(Homeless Center)

The door to the homeless center flew off the hinges as it was kicked down by a tall man. Elaine Wellings was the director at the center, and was started by what was happening. She watched as a man that was new to the center ran over to the group of men now barging into the building from the doorway. Then one of the strangers stabbed him with a double sided knife.

"No!" shouted Elaine as she saw the guy crumple to the floor in a bloody mess.

Screams could be heard throughout the building as the men ran in various directions. They started slaughtering people left and right. Frantically, Elaine hid under her desk in fear, not knowing how these people could do such a thing. She knew that the city was getting worse by the day, but why here? Why hurt all these innocent people who were just trying to find their place in the world. And here she was, cowering underneath her desk, praying to god that she would make it through the attack.

Then out of nowhere a man appeared out of thin air right in front of her. An evil smile adorned his face as he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her out from underneath the desk.

"You must be Elaine." cooed the demon revealing his rotted yellow teeth.

"Oh my god, how did you know?" screamed Elaine as she felt her scalp starting to bleed under the man's tight grip.

The demon laughed before taking the tip of his athame and placing it against the name tag on her pink cardigan. "I thought someone like you would be a little bit smarter."

"Please don't hurt me! I'll do anything...I swear!" Elaine cried in fear as tears slid down her face.

"Sorry, but Wyatt told me to be especially rough with you my sweet." he replied with a sickening laugh.

Bianca appeared behind the demon and grabbed him by his trenchcoat. She lifted him up into the air and threw him over the desk. When he stood up she just glared at him, before hurling an energy ball. He burst into flames and disintegrated.

"And I'll be extra rough with you." she said as he was vanquished.

"Oh lord...thank you!" said Elaine with wide eyes as she placed a tissue on her bleeding head. "You have to help the others...they're back there!"

"Of course...there's always more." sighed Bianca before turning on her heel and hurrying into the next room of the large homeless center.

(Different part of the building)

Chris orbed into the center seeing many bodies on the floor. He felt a pang of guilt inside of him as he blamed himself, wishing he could've gotten here sooner. So many were dead already, and he could still hear the demons having their fun somewhere in the building. Their sick laughter rang through the halls, but with it came the screams of pain of their victims. As he walked toward the sound he was lead down a long narrow hallway. Walking by a door, he heard a thud, almost like a knocking sound.

Prepared for what he might find on the other side of the door, he turned the doorknob and opened it up. Chris saw a pair of large eyes gaze at him before the bloody corpse of a young girl, teenager most likely, fell into his arms. Blood seeped from various stab wounds. Chris jumped, and she fell to the floor, her green eyes gazing at him. He could see the lifelessness in her. Tears welled in his eyes as her body reminded him of the day, all those years ago, when he had held his mother's body.

"No...I'm sorry." cried Chris deliriously, bringing himself back to the night it had happened. The night his mother had been taken away from him.

Its all your fault...whispered a distant voice in his mind, barely audible above the screaming and laughter.

"Why didn't I save you? Oh god, what have I done?" yelled Chris as he grabbed onto the walls for support. His arms and legs started to tremble, his temples throbbing with pain. The room started to spin in front of him and the screams became louder, the sounds ringing in his head.

"NO!" shouted Chris as he started to fall. Then, someone caught him.

"Chris!" said Kyle as he supported his nephew. This was the first time Chris had reacted like this to a dead body. Granted, it did fall on him and all, but still it had startled Kyle to see him like this.

"What's happening...to me?" asked Chris as he put his hand against the wall and tried to support himself.

"I don't know, but we have to hurry. I know you're not okay right now, but there's a girl in there fighting them off by herself." said Kyle not wanting to bring Chris into battle at that point, but he had no choice in the matter.

His head was still searing with pain, but Chris wasn't prepared to let anyone else die. He had to save her, no matter what it took. "Lead the way." he said to his uncle.

Kyle wasted no time, as he broke into a sprint, leading him into the room at the end of the long hallway. They ran into the large recreation room where a young woman stood, fending off a group of demons by herself.

"I'm surprised she lasted this long." said Kyle as he strted in her direction, looking for someone to heal.

"Oh my god...Bianca?" said Chris as he ran in toward her, immerging into the rang of fire.

A fireball was shot at him, but his easily deflected it back at the demon, vanquishing it. Bianca was turned to face a demon in front of her, and a demon to her right was about to throw an energy ball at her. Chris quickly flung out both of his hands, blowing up the demon. Bianca turned around, not knowing who had defended her. She pretended to act shocked when she saw Chris standing behind her.

"Chris?" she asked him.

Chris flicked his hands, freezing the room. "Bianca, I had no idea you were a witch." he said shocked.

"Yeah, well we can talk later. What're we going to do about these guys?" questioned Bianca indicating the frozen fiends.

He grabbed her hand and started to chant, "Your destruction we wish to refrain, may your death be full of pain!"

The demons all writhed in pain before they bursted into flames and were sent to oblivion.

"Lets talk."


	7. Return of the Darklighter

Chris and Bianca walked down the street together, talking. After the attack they had aided to those who were injured and called the authorities to inform them about the dead bodies of those they were unable to save. Chris was utterly surprised. After meeting her the night before he never would've guessed that she was a wish. It really was a small world, or so he thought.

"So, you're a witch...what're your powers?" asked Chris curiously as he looked at her with interest.

"I can conjure and shimmer, and energy balls, you?" replied Bianca not wanting to mention her ability to steal powers or rise from the ashes. That could give away her real identity.

"I can orb, I have telekinesis, can freeze time, and blast." he told her.

"I just really can't get over the fact that we met last night and had a great time...and I never even knew you were a witch." said Bianca playing the part.

"Well, you're not an empath so that's understandable." said Chris smiling, something he didn't do a lot.

"So, full name..lets hear it." Bianca prodded playfully.

"Chris Halliwell." he told her. "Now you."

"Bianca Perry." she said. "You said Halliwell...that must mean.."

"Wyatt's my brother." stated Chris with a sigh. Telling a girl that your brother was the Source of All Evil wasn't exactly a way to score.

"Wow...you're amazing." she told him.

"What?" asked Chris shocked by her comment.

"You're brother is the incarnate of evil yet you are the purest and most kind hearted person I've ever met. Its amazing." Bianca said to him actually meaning what she said.

"Ah..thanks." he said not really sure how to respond to that.

"You're welcome." she replied.

"Well, now that we've got that under control..why don't I take you to lunch." offered Chris hopefully.

"That sounds great." agreed Bianca.

(Scene changes to Halliwell manor)

Wyatt Halliwell stood in the Halliwell Manor Museum, facing the pedestal that held a digital projection of the Book of Shadows. The real book was hidden within his chamber in the underworld, but he could summon it in no time if he wanted to. That wasn't why he was in the manor though. The Source had much more in his mind than just spells and potions. Not only was he fighting a war of magic, but a war of the heart also and that was why he had come back to the manor that day. He needed to remember what it was that drove Chris to stay strong each and every day.

The only thing his little brother had that Wyatt didn't was love, so that is what Wyatt thought must be the link to sever. If he made it so that Chris could no longer love then his brother would be more vulnerable than ever and would find himself unable to refuse Wyatt's offer of partnership. That was what had in fact drove Wyatt to evil, his inability to find love again after the death of his parents and aunts.

So, that was how he had forged his plan. Wyatt would use Bianca to hurt Chris, but he knew that only that alone would not weaken him enough. If he really wanted to get Chris he had to hurt the ones that he loved, and that was exactly what he was going to do. Now, he just had to find them.

Wyatt snapped his fingers and a group of assassins shimmered into the room in front of him. They were part of his elite unit. He smiled as the plan formed in his head and he savored the thought of the pain it would cause his little brother.

"From now on you are study my brother. I want you to find out who's close to him, where he lives, anything that you can. Its time I put more pressure on him. Its time time show Chris that the life of good isn't as easy as he thinks it is." said Wyatt to them.

"Yes master." the demons said in unison before shimmering out.

"And the game begins."

(A few weeks later...)

Chris walked into his house and shut the door behind him. He had just gotten back from Bianca's house. They had been spending a lot of time together lately and Chris was falling for her fast. He hadn't met anyone like her in his entire life, and it was good to know that someone could understand his pain. When he walked into the living room he saw Kyle, Kendal, and Aiden waiting for him on the couch. He had no idea why they would be in his house when he wasn't even there, but decided the only way to find out was to ask.

"Do you guys like hanging out at someone's house when he's not home?" asked Chris with a laugh.

"Well, you're never home so we like to pretend." Kendal joked.

"Oh please, I'm not gone that much." said Chris. He had spent the night at Bianca's again.

"I mean seriously though, you've been dating this girl for almost a month now and none of us have met her yet. All we know is that her name is Bianca." she said.

"And that she's hot." added Aiden before getting poked in the ribs by Kendal.

"Sorry, I told him that." said Chris laughing. "Just be patient you'll all get to meet her soon enough. I just, I want to be sure about everything before I start introducing her to all kinds of people."

"I understand, but you still should know that you have responsibilities here also." said Kyle.

"I know I do...what does that have to do with anything?" asked Chris.

"There was another raid last night, and because you were at Bianca's, I couldn't get a hold of you." said Kyle.

"Oh god...I'm sorry. I didn't know...was anyone killed?" he asked with worry.

"Thankfully, no." his uncle answered. "Wyatt just needed some more funding."

Chris sighed with relief. "You're going to meet her...soon." he said before turning and walking into his room. He had to shower and get ready for the day ahead of him.

The three of them looked at one another for a moment. They hadn't expected him to take the news that well, but were relieved that he had. They didn't like it when he had his breakdowns. It wasn't good for anyone when he did. Aiden grabbed Kendal's hand and they shimmered to her house. Kyle orbed out.

(Bianca's house)

Chris appeared in a swirl of blue and white lights. Bianca had been waiting for him in the living room, and she walked to the entryway to greet him. As she stepped close to him, Chris leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips. She smiled and led him into the other room. She really liked Chris, a lot, and she didn't yet know what that was going to do to what she was really supposed to be doing.

"Hey there." she said to him smiling brightly.

Chris loved it when she smiled. All of his worries just seemed to go away when she did. "Hey there." he replied with his own smile.

"So, how was your shower?" asked Bianca with a grin.

"Not bad, but would've been better if you were there." answered Chris.

Bianca laughed and hugged him tightly. She was starting care for Chris more than she had cared for anyone ever in his life and didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Listen, I've been thinking...I want you to meet my friends." said Chris waiting for her reaction.

"I think that sounds like a good idea." she answered.

Chris held her close and kissed her passionately. Kissing her gave him a feeling unlike any else. It was so wonderful, so magical. Was he falling in love? The endulged in the kiss for a few moments before Bianca broke away slowly and smiled up at him.

"Mmm...Chris kisses." she whispered to him as she leaned against his chest. He was a little bit taller than she was.

"I can't wait for you to meet Kendal. She's been my best friend since preschool." Chris told her with excitement.

"I know. You told me already, and she's the one dating a demon, right?" asked Bianca with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, but don't judge her by that and he's only half demon. His name's Aiden, his mother was a Manticore." explained Chris with a slight nod.

Bianca pretended like she didn't know this. She had, after all, vanquished Aiden's mother and practically helped Wyatt kill the Beast. She couldn't blame herself for his deaht though. There was no way she could've stopped Wyatt from doing what he wanted with the man, and she hadn't helped him capture the guy or anything, but still she felt guilty at the end of the day knowing that she was aligned with such a cruel being.

The moment of peace was interrupted as dark orbs swirled in front of them, and a darklighter appeared mere feet away from them. This wasn't just any darklight, no, this was the only darklighter. When Wyatt had went to the dark side he had made sure that the one breed of demon that had an advantage over him was wiped out. Except one of course. Many of Wyatt's enemies were whitelighters after all, and the poison that only darklighters can possess was a strong asset for him, so Wyatt had left this one alone. But, in return the darklighter had made him an antidote that made him immune of the deadly poison.

Still, this wasn't just any darklighter.

"Chris, its been a while." sounded the menacing voice. He was clad in leather pants and a black muscle shirt with a black leather duster over it. His hair was pitch black with dark stips of blue, and his eyes were a shade of cobalt.

A jolt of fear struck Chris as he laid his eyes on the demon. "Zacron." was all he could manage to say at this moment. Bianca was next to him, ready to attack. Wyatt hadn't informed her of an attack, but that didn't mean this guy wasn't working for him.

Zacron was the king of darklighters, and feared by many, demon and whitelighter alike. Zacron was the darklighter who murdered Leo Wyatt. He took a step closer, though it was small, and smiled sadistically.

"I'm glad you still remember me, and you bloody well should. Taught you a lesson, right I did. And my my my, who is the lovely lassie?" Zacron asked licking his chapped lips with his tongue.

Bianca stood her ground and kept her eyes on him. "I'm not someone you want want to mess with." she said with confidence evident in her voice.

"Good pickin', Chris. She's just as bloody arrogant as you. See, arrogance is what got Chrissy here in trouble in the first place. Thought he was all big and powerful, trying to stop his brother." he paused to lick some blood from a cut on his finger. "He tried to make a deal with me, wanted me to take out his brother, but little Chris didn't know that I was already in league with Wyatt at the time. So, I went to big brother and told him what the little bit was up to and we made ourselves a great sodding plan we did."

Chris stared at Zacron, looking catatonic. The memory was still fresh in his head, though it had happened years ago. The wounds still felt like they were gaping, so much had happened all in that short span after his mother had been killed and then his father...he couldn't think about it.

"So, I pretended to be 'elpin him and right when it was time to strike down Wyatt, I shot his father. You should've seen it, Daddy dying and Chris crying. It was quite the show." Zacron reminised with pleasure.

"Shut up." snapped Chris finally breaking his long silence.

"Oooh, now that's what I like to hear." replied Zacron with a grin.

Chris angrily threw out his hand and telekinetically sent the darklighter flying into the wall. Bianca materialized an energy ball and went to throw it, but Zacron threw an energy ring that bound her hands together.

"This is between me and him." the darklighter said.

Chris again smashed him back with telekinesis and sent a large plant at him. Zacron hit the wall with a thud and the plants vase smashed when it made contact with his head. The boy had definitely improved over the years, but that wasn't good enough. The darklighter smiled before throwing a blast of energy at him. Chris flung out his hands and froze the attack in front of him before flinging it back at him. Zacron easily dodged it and conjured his crossbow. The deadly projectile appeared in his hands in a swirl of dark orbs.

The witchwhitelighter looked at the crossbow that held the deadly poisonous arrows and took a step backwards. That was the same weapon that had killed his father. It had all been his fault. If only he hadn't made that deal, why had he made that deal? He felt himself starting to slip again...going back to the day.

"Chris! Snap out of it!" shouted Bianca as she conjured a switchblade and tried to get out of her magical entrapment.

"Aww...too bad you'll never see her again." shouted Zacron as he pulled the trigger and the arrow was launched forward. It flew fast and shot into Chris' shoulder. This way he would have time to get healed. That was part of his plan, but he had to act like he meant to kill him. Zacron looked at Bianca and mentally made the energy ring disappear.

"You're going to pay for that!" the assassin shouted before throwing her switchblade at him, but the darklighter had already dark orbed out.

Bianca ran to Chris and looked at him. The poison was already working its way through his veins, and she didn't have much time. She tried to get his attention, but he was still in his catattonia. "I have to get you out of here." she said before grabbing onto him and shimmering out.


End file.
